A Mish Ate Review : BarPizza

I’ll be straight with you. I had my heart set on reviewing a Mediterranean Restaurant which has recently opened in Gladesville. We’d made a booking for Saturday night and I had a really positive feeling about this place. The reviews, although there hadn’t been many, had raved about the quality of the food, the excellent wait staff and someone had even raved about the numerous vegetarian options. Let me say we probably stayed about 5 minutes before we decided to leave. The only dish I was tempted to try wasn’t available (which hadn’t been crossed-off the menu mind you), they hadn’t received their liquor license yet (which they failed to mention over the phone) and we were seated in the main walkway next to the kitchen where demands seemed to be shouted at them regularly. My soul was sad. So Ben and I decided to leave and try our luck at one of our favourites, BarPizza.

BarPizza @ Gladesville

We order the same food at BarPizza religiously and this time is no different. The only thing that is different is we have just less than an hour to eat. It’s just after 7pm on a Saturday night during the Christmas season and we don’t have a booking. Luckily BarPizza’s accommodating (and extremely lovely) co-owner Nikos quickly finds a table for us. We’ve already deliberated and are ready to order when our waitress comes to ask us what we’d like to drink. And for someone who is usually very indecisive, I was impressed with myself. Just a little.

I’m going against the crowd tonight and passing on the vino which is almost unheard of. However recently I have found myself craving Sangria and I spot it on the blackboard in front of me. I hesitate for a second. I put in my order. It’s too late to turn back now. I am in love! This is definitely up there with the best Sangrias I have ever had. The base of the Sangria is made with red wine, a generous splash of triple sec, freshly chopped citrus fruit and is topped off with lemonade. It looks as good as it tastes! If time permitted I definitely would have opted for a couple more.

My gorgeous Sangria with fresh citrus

You simply can’t beat the woodfired pizza here, so we order three… Between two people. I’m no maths genius, but that’s a lot of food! And the pizza tastes just as good the next day so I alway cherish whatever (if any) leftovers I have.

For starters we share a Garlic Pizza. It’s cooked exquisitely; crisp and slightly golden on the outside yet still light and fluffy in the centre. It is generously brushed with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkled with freshly chopped oregano and laden with finely diced garlic. And the garlic is certainly not overpowering, but it does leave you wanting more. My mouth is watering just at the thought of it!

For mains, I’ve ordered the Parmigiana Pizza which has a tomato salsa base, eggplant, olives, pork sausage, shredded basil and Grana Padano. It is usually topped with mozzarella, but for the safety of stomach, I sadly go without. The combination of ingredients is exquisite, and the topping is abundant but not at all heavy. The pork sausage is the delicious hero and I always find myself hunting it down through the layers of perfectly cooked vegetables. Ben orders a Vegetariana Pizza which also has a tomato salsa base, eggplant, olives and shredded basil as well as capsicum and zucchini. He has to force himself to stop eating so he can have the rest for lunch the next day. Minutes later I catch him tearing most of the toppings off. I don’t blame him.

Parmigiana and Vegetariana Pizzas (minus the mozzarella)

I love the atmosphere of this place. It’s cozy but modern and very welcoming. I could stay here sipping on Sangria for hours. My favourite thing about BarPizza is that customers can leave comments on the walls and share their dining experiences with others. It definitely gives that personal touch and it’s always good to see such positive feedback and a massive appreciation for what Nikos and the team do here.

My take? I’ve been to BarPizza on many occasions and is a restaurant I wouldn’t hesitate recommending to anyone. The friendly staff are more than happy to accommodate any request and the food is consistently well presented, fresh and packed with authentic flavours. Not to mention, the wine list has been carefully selected and fails to disappoint. One thing to note, as BarPizza has a relatively small space, make sure you book – This place can get packed out!

You can find BarPizza at 186 Victoria Road, Gladesville. They’re open Tuesday – Sunday from 5pm until 10pm and are also open for lunch on Friday and Sunday from Noon until 4pm. There is plenty of parking close by and plenty of spots directly opposite the Gladesville RSL Club. You can find out more information by visiting http://barpizza.net.au where they also having a takeaway menu available.

As we only had a limited time at BarPizza, I will come back and upload some more photos very soon. Stay tuned!